Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Tom Taylor - February 18, 2018

On July 7, in the main event of UFC 226, reigning UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will attempt to defend his title against reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. As one of the heavyweight division’s top contenders, it’s no surprise that Curtis Blaydes will be watching this fight very closely. “I think it’s very interesting matchup,” Blaydes said of the UFC 226 main event on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio. “It’s a good matchup. I like it, seeing as DC is a former Strikeforce heavyweight champion and he is, I think, undefeated as a heavyweight. He knows how – he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. I think [their] weights will be a lot closer than people think. [Cormier will] probably be 235 [pounds] and Stipe will probably be around 245-250, and at heavyweight, that’s not really much of a difference. And [Cormier is] used to being the smaller guy so you don’t have to worry.”

Chris Taylor - February 6, 2018

Tyron Woodley: “Stephen Thompson is today’s Jon Fitch” Earlier today UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that he was targeting a summer return and would likely be fighting former lightweight title challenger Nate Diaz in his next bout.

Tom Taylor - February 5, 2018

Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Valentina Shevchenko could not have been more impressive in her Saturday night flyweight debut, out-landing her opponent Priscila Cachoeira by a 230-3 margin en-route to a second-round submission win. Regrettably, much of the buzz surrounding this fight has been negative, as the widespread perception is that referee Mario Yamasaki let this one-sided beatdown go on for far longer than it should have. Priscilla Cachoeira, you showed so much heart and toughness in that fight. I’m honored to have you fight in the UFC. Unfortunately the ref is there to protect you and Mario DID NOT do that. This isn’t his first disgusting performance in the octagon. Another unfortunate thing is that i can’t do anything about I️t only the Brazilian commission can and i am hoping after this scary, incompetent showing he hopefully will never set foot in that Octagon again. Strikes landed was 230-3.

Tom Taylor - February 5, 2018

At present, there are two clear frontrunners in the race to the next shot at UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley. One is surging contender Colby Covington. The other is former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. Speaking on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio, Colby Covington explained why he, not Rafael dos Anjos, deserves the next crack at Tyron Woodley.

Tom Taylor - January 28, 2018

It took Mairbek Taisumov a long, long time to find a willing dance partner for his next fight. Given that he’s knocked all five of his most recent opponents out, the difficulty he’s had finding a willing opponent definitely makes some sense. He just doesn’t seem like a fun guy to fight. Eventually, of course, Taisumov was able to find a willing adversary in the absurdly tough, 15th-ranked UFC lightweight Evan Dunham, who he’ll battle at UFC 223 on April 7.

Tom Taylor - January 28, 2018

Back in December of 2017, Team Alpha Male staple Josh Emmett authored the best win of his career thus far, smashing Ricardo Lamas to a first-round knockout win. With this impressive victory, Emmett surged up the UFC featherweight ladder, usurping the number-four spot in the division’s rankings. In the wake of this career-changing win, Emmett quickly began campaigning or a fight with fellow contender Brian Ortega, who recently won big with a submission of Cub Swanson. Unfortunately, Ortega didn’t seem interested in this fight, and opted to wait for his shot at the winner of Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar’s upcoming title fight.

Tom Taylor - January 24, 2018

In the wake of his submission loss to UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson, Kevin Lee has been looking for ways to freshen up his game. He’s hoping renowned MMA coach Firas Zahabi can help him with that. Speaking on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio, Lee explained that he’ll be doing some work with Zahabi over the coming weeks.

Tom Taylor - January 23, 2018

Having recently come up short in an interim lightweight title fight with Tony Ferguson, “The Motown Phenom” Kevin Lee is eager to get back on track and reinsert himself into the title mix. While he was briefly discussed as a possible opponent for former World Series of Fighting champion Justin Gaethje, Gaethje has now been targeted for a scrap with Dustin Poirier. Now that this Gaethje-Poirier fight has been scheduled, Lee feels he might end up in a fight with Edson Barboza, who recently lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Tom Taylor - January 14, 2018

Sacramento’s Team Alpha Male has long been regarded as one of the top mixed martial arts gyms in the world. That remains true today, when the gym is home to former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, and two of the top featherweights on earth in Josh Emmett and Darren Elkins. Emmett last fought in December, when he clubbed long-time contender Ricardo Lamas to a massive, first-round upset KO. Elkins, meanwhile, returns to the cage tonight, when he will take on former lightweight contender Michael Johnson on the main card of the UFC’s anticipated debut in St. Louis, Missouri.

Tom Taylor - January 14, 2018

Ever since he knocked out Cody Garbrandt to recapture the UFC bantamweight title, TJ Dillashaw has been angling for a flyweight title shot opposite dominant divisional kingpin Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. In order to earn this opportunity, of course, Dillashaw will have to cut down to 125 pounds – something Garbrandt doesn’t believe he can do. I’d make 125 in a month! This fool can’t make 125, he knows what it is. I’ll be here cleaning the division out again, waiting for him🏃🏼🏃🏼 https://t.co/XzybIfRWNv

Chris Taylor - January 12, 2018

T.J. Dillashaw fires back at Cody Garbrandt “You can’t even really be called champ without defending your belt”. Following his thrilling second-round knockout victory over Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217, newly crowned UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw set his sights on a super-fight with current flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson.

Chris Taylor - January 12, 2018

UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw (15-3 MMA) is gearing up for “The biggest fight of 2018”. The 31-year-old product of Sonora, California is coming off an incredible second-round knockout victory over former teammate turned bitter rival Cody Garbrandt at November’s UFC 217 event in New York.

Chris Taylor - January 12, 2018

Perennial UFC welterweight contender “Platinum” Mike Perry will look to rebound from his recent loss to Santiago Ponzinibbio when he squares off with Max Griffin at UFC on FOX 28 on February 24 in Orlando, Florida. The welterweight knockout artist, Perry, recently sat down with host Kinch from BJ Penn Radio where he discussed his newly announced fight which takes place in his backyard of Orlando, Florida.

Chris Taylor - January 8, 2018

Former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion BJ Penn believes that while USADA has definitely helped clean up the sport of mixed martial arts, there is still a ton of room for improvement.   Speaking with BJPENN.com’s Chris Taylor, “The Prodigy” revealed that he believes many fighters have jumped off of testosterone in favor of Human Growth Hormone.   “I think that USADA made the cheaters jump from taking Testosterone to Human Growth Hormone. You know, exactly how Lance Armstrong cheated for all of those years… That is what is happening now.”   Cyclist Lance Armstrong was infamously stripped of his seven Tour de France titles after he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs which included EPO, HGH and other banned substances.   In October of 2012 USADA formally charged Lance Armstrong of running a massive doping ring which they labelled “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sports had ever seen.”   According to Penn, the symptoms of HGH, which include having a bloated stomach, are quite visible in the sport of mixed martial arts today.   “USADA told me that they have a test to catch HGH users but I haven’t seen anyone getting busted and everyone’s stomachs are getting bigger. I see it all the time. Fighters shoulders are getting smaller and their stomachs are getting bigger because they are jumping off testosterone and taking HGH.”   Taylor brought up the fact that USADA claims to have a test that would could prove fighters have taken HGH within the past two weeks. Still, Penn questions the lack of results stemming from the test.   “Yea, (Jeff) Novitzky told me they have a test for Human Growth Hormone that  lasts for two weeks. But then why is no one ever getting busted and their stomachs are growing?”   Penn continued:   “It’s kind of like IV’s. I have never seen one fighter get busted for taking an IV twenty-four hours out of their fight. The only fighter who ever got busted for an IV was me, this after I disclosed that I had taken a glutathione IV following a visit with a concussion and brain injury specialist. They (USADA) tried to show that they had teeth by reprimanding a fighter who always speaks out about PED’s. Since that day, I have never seen anyone else get ‘caught’ for taking an IV. From my understanding, the only test that USADA uses for IV’s is looking for puncture holes on a fighter. Maybe they don’t realize that a massive weight gain after a weigh in is performance enhancing. When in reality, IV’s can be a huge advantage in the fight game. We aren’t talking about 150-pound men riding a bike.”   Penn brought up a previous fight where his opponent had put on 26-pounds in just twenty-four hours following the official event weigh-ins. “The Prodigy” recalled a conversation with Jeff Novitzky,  the Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance for UFC, about his opponents rather substantial overnight weight gain.   “My coach had seen my opponent weigh-in just hours before the fight and he had put on 26-pounds. I had eaten everything I could in those twenty-four hours and yet I only managed to put on 8-pounds myself. I told Novitzky about the situation after the fight suggesting that maybe my opponent had taken an IV. Jeff told me that they could not find any puncture holes on his arm and added that maybe my opponent just rehydrated better.”   In the end, BJ Penn simply wants to see a level playing field for fighters in mixed martial arts. At the moment, “The Prodigy” believes that there is still a lot of room for improvement in regards to USADA.   In a previous interview with SportsJoe, Tri-Star head coach Firas Zahabi explained why Human Growth Hormone (HGH) could be the most effective PED for improving a fighters performance.   “One time I was training a doctor and we were talking about that, what would be the most dangerous thing? What should we be aware of that our opponents might be taking. I remember him telling me that the best thing out there is HGH. Why? Because it helps you recover so much.” Zahabi continued:

Tom Taylor - January 3, 2018

Just days removed from her exciting UFC 219 victory over Holly Holm, UFC women’s featherweight champ Cris Cyborg is already looking ahead to her next fight. The champ is now hoping to fight Invicta featherweight queen Megan Anderson, ideally when the UFC touches down in Anderson’s native Australia with UFC 221 on February 11. While Cyborg has heard the calls for a superfight between herself and UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, she feels that it’s important for her to fight a legitimate featherweight like Anderson in her next fight – and for a pretty noble reason.

Tom Taylor - January 3, 2018

Last Saturday, in the main event of UFC 219, UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg stepped into the Octagon to attempt her first title defense. Her opponent on this quest was former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm. While Cyborg ultimately came out on top in this fight, capturing a well-deserved unanimous decision, Holm certainly didn’t make it easy for her. The former bantamweight champ hung in there for the duration of the fight, landing meaningful offense of her own throughout.

Tom Taylor - December 28, 2017

15th-ranked UFC lightweight James Vick has been having a very difficult time finding fights, and that trend continues to this day. Having had his hopes of headlining the UFC’s return to Austin opposite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone dashed, he’s now eagerly waiting to see what else the UFC can come up with for him. While the promotion apparently has four potential opponents in mind for him, the increasingly frustrated James Vick won’t be surprised if they all turn him down. In his opinion, fighters just don’t accept fights with the willingness they once did. And he thinks it’s time they started being punished for their over-selectiveness.

Tom Taylor - December 28, 2017

Streaking UFC lightweight James Vick, who is fresh off a mauling of Joe Duffy, was hoping to battle Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the main event of the UFC’s upcoming trip to Austin. Now that Cerrone has been booked for a fight with Yancy Medeiros in Austin’s main event, however, Vick knows this isn’t going to happen. With this development, Vick has been forced to look elsewhere in the hunt for his next opponent. Apparently, the UFC has a few options in mind to that end.